Skip to main content
Florida
Join Now

Gators add 2 staffers with NFL coaching experience

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr04/15/25NiebuhrOn3

Florida Gators football coach Billy Napier has added two veteran coaches to his staff. Gators Online can confirm a report from Footballscoop.com that Roy Istvan and James Carpenter have joined the UF program as offensive analysts who will work with the offensive line.

Istvan, 56, is a well-traveled coach. He was an assistant offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2024. From 2019-2023, he worked with the Philadelphia Eagles in the same capacity. Prior to that, he spent two decades coaching at the college level.

Per Footballscoop.com, “Istvan was Cleveland’s assistant offensive line coach most recently and logged five seasons with the Eagles. He was prominently featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks when it focused on Cleveland and has more than three decades’ experience.”

Carpenter, 36, played on the offensive line at both Alabama and Georgia. And he was selected in the first round with the 25th overall pick by Seattle in 2011 at offensive tackle. He played 132 games in the NFL with 122 combined starts. He won a Super Bowl with Seattle in 2014.

These additions beef up Florida’s offensive line staff, an area that has been a priority for Napier since Day 1 in Gainesville. The Gators have two on-field coaches for the line already in Rob Sale and John Decoster, a rarity. Napier has said he uses this system because its allows for the Gators to better develop players up front. It’s also a recruiting tool for his program.

You may also like